Declaration for Independence

A Call to Transform Health and Long Term Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities



What We’re Reading: August 14, 2017

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Disability Organizations Issue Statements in Solidarity with Charlottesville | Anita Cameron
If We Start Editing Genes, People Like Me Might Not Exist | Washington Post

It’s ironic that news of a breakthrough in human gene editing was released on July 26. That was the 27th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark civil rights legislation intended to remedy centuries of discrimination against 57 million disabled Americans. And yet the announcement served as another reminder that there is still much desire to put those rendered undesirable in our place.

Drinking On The Rise In U.S., Especially For Women, Minorities, Older Adults | NPR

More Americans are drinking alcohol, and a growing number of them are drinking to a point that’s dangerous or harmful, according to a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry this week.

The study, sponsored by a federal agency for alcohol research, examined how drinking patterns changed between 2002 and 2013, based on in-person surveys of tens of thousands of U.S. adults. They found that drinking, in general, rose substantially over that time frame. Problem drinking increased by an even greater percentage, and women, racial minorities, older adults and the poor saw particularly large spikes.

Tech, Alcohol And Ageism On The Minds Of Top Aging Experts | Forbes

Late last month, more than 6,000 professionals in gerontology and geriatrics convened in San Francisco for the IAGG World Congress, an event that occurs every four years and brings together representatives from disciplines such as medicine, nursing and social science, to address the latest ideas to improve the quality of life for older adults. (IAGG stands for International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.) I was there representing the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, and was exposed to the latest science, research, training, technology and policy development from nearly all of the top experts on aging around the world.

Yoga May Boost Aging Brains | WebMD

Older women who practice yoga may have greater “thickness” in areas of the brain involved in memory and attention, a small study suggests. Researchers found that even compared with other healthy, active women their age, yoga practitioners typically had greater cortical thickness in the brain’s left prefrontal cortex.

Ex-Worker Sues Pennsylvania County Over Disability Standards | US News and World Report

A fired district court law clerk sued a Pennsylvania county’s retirement system, saying it hasn’t set forth clear guidelines to determine how and when employees qualify for disability pensions. Attorneys for Susan Donahue, 55, sued the Retirement System of Allegheny County, which is a private company set up under state law to administer pensions in the Pennsylvania’s second most-populous county. The retirement system is headed by a three-member board of county officials: Controller Chelsa Wagner, Treasurer John Weinstein, and Ted Puzak, a retired county probation officer. The board is also being sued as a group.

Northwest fishing guide faces fraud charges over attempt to get disability benefits while leading hundreds of trips | Seattle Times

A federal grand jury thinks prominent Northwest angler and fishing guide Billy Jim Swann has been telling a fish tale of his own. Swann pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court in Tacoma to charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, Social Security fraud and perjury for alleging applying for disability benefits, claiming he could not work, while guiding as many as 300 fishing trips a year in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Bryan set trial for Oct. 2.

UPS agrees to $2 million settlement in disability discrimination lawsuit | Chicago Tribune

UPS has agreed to pay a total of $2 million to nearly 90 current and former employees to resolve a national disability discrimination lawsuit that challenged the company’s maximum leave policy, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Tuesday. The lawsuit, filed by the EEOC in 2009 in Chicago federal court, alleged the Atlanta-based shipping giant violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it failed to provide employees with reasonable accommodations and maintained an “inflexible” leave policy that automatically fired employees when they reached 12 months of leave, without an interactive process.

New autism program filling ‘unexpected but significant’ gaps in healthcare and disability services | WISHTV

Easterseals Crossroads, the largest disability services organization in Indianapolis, is offering expanded support and coordinated care to children and adults with autism spectrum disorder through a new partnership with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. A pilot program emphasizing individualized care is accepting Anthem referrals and currently has approximately 20 people enrolled, said Tracy Gale, director of autism and behavior services at Easterseals. She described the program’s broad range of services as “unique” and said they filled unexpected gaps in local healthcare and disability support.

New restaurant to bloom in St. Louis as disability group works to create more diverse workforce | St. Louis Post-Dispatch

After several months of trying unsuccessfully to come up with a name for the disability organization’s new restaurant, the leaders of Paraquad decided to turn to social media for help. They received more than 140 suggestions, narrowed them to five, then agreed that the best name to represent the nonprofit’s new endeavor to provide job training and work experience would be the Bloom Café. It’s fitting, said Paraquad CEO Aimee Wehmeier, for an organization working to ensure its clients reach full potential.

Disabled, Nonbinary, and Older — SmartGlamour Is Showing The Fashion Industry What Diversity Really Looks Like | Global Citizen

Posted on billboards, train station walls, and played on TV — advertisements for the fashion industry are everywhere. And they mostly look the same. A group of people, normally women about the same height, with the same slim figure, normally of the same race, all enhanced with photo editing, and below them a slogan which reads something like “A brand for every type of woman.” Despite slogans about representation, these ads often ring hollow.

What To Do When Medicare Screws Up Your Aging Parent’s Bill | Forbes

Most of our aging parents receive Medicare, which is supposed to pay “covered medical costs”.  And for the most part, it does. But then there are the mistakes. Are your aging parents helpless when Medicare refuses to pay for something that appears very legitimate? They get a bill for something that is supposed to be covered but instead shows that Medicare covered none of it and your aging parents are responsible for the full amount. Maybe you, the adult child will get a call about this. Here’s what you need to know about wrongful Medicare denials. Not taking action can leave an aging parent with a big bill, which they should not be forced to pay. They are not without recourse. But for an elder, someone else may need to get involved to help them fight back when Medicare makes a mistake.

Era of aging baby boomers to ignite explosion in jobs in health care, housing for seniors |Duluth News Tribune

In the coming decades, as the “huge wave” of baby boomers starts to reach their 70s, 80s and older, jobs in health care and senior housing will explode, said Phil Gisi, president and CEO of Grand Forks-based Edgewood Management Group. But young people may not be fully aware of the “great opportunities” that await them in this sector of the job market, said Gisi, whose company owns and operates senior living facilities across the Upper Midwest.

Va. Launches New Project: Disability Awareness Training for Law Enforcement |NBC29

The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), in partnership with the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD), and the Department for Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), has contracted with Niagara University to develop and conduct statewide training for law enforcement officers. The primary goal is to provide the specific interaction skills law enforcement needs when they encounter individuals with disabilities. Funding will provide the development of a train-the trainer curriculum and stand-alone courses that address specific types of disabilities.

Disability Pride Fest returns to downtown Sheboygan | Sheboygan Press

Disability Pride Fest returns to downtown Sheboygan this week. For the third year in a row, this annual festival will be showcasing and promoting the abilities and talents of community members who are differently-abled, while also featuring entertainment and informational opportunities for attendees. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at Fountain Park, 8th Street and Erie Avenue in Sheboygan. Entry is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

Fight over right to sue nursing homes heats up | The Hill

Consumer groups are making a last ditch effort to stop the Trump administration from stripping nursing home residents and their families of the right to take facilities to court over alleged abuse, neglect or sexual assault. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans in June to do away with an Obama-era rule that prohibited nursing homes that accept Medicare or Medicaid funds from including language in their resident contracts requiring that disputes be settled by a third party rather than a court.

Older adults with HIV: An overlooked population? | Jamaica Observer

WHEN it comes to HIV prevention and treatment, there is a growing population that is being overlooked — older adults — and implicit ageism is partially responsible for this neglect, according to a presentation at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association on Friday in Washington, DC. “The lack of perceived HIV risk in late adulthood among older people themselves, as well as providers and society in general, inhibits investment in education, testing and programmatic responses to address HIV in an ageing population,” said presenter Mark Brennan-Ing, director for research and evaluation at ACRIA, a non-profit HIV/AIDS research organisation in New York City. “Ageism perpetuates the invisibility of older adults, which renders current medical and social service systems unprepared to respond to the needs of people ageing with HIV infection.”

Meet the actress determined to challenge the way we see disability on TV by joining Coronation Street | Manchester Evening News

A disability rights campaigner who aims to break down barriers is joining Coronation Street. Manchester-based actress Melissa Johns is set to play a character called Imogen who will become a love interest for Kate Connor. Melissa, who has previously starred in BBC dramas The Interceptor, Silk and Casualty, describes herself on her Twitter biog as an actor “breaking down the barriers to change the way disability is seen on our screens and stages.” In one of her online profiles she says “I was lucky enough to be born with only one arm so I get to enjoy half price manicures and can afford to lose the ‘other glove’.” She adds: “I, like many disabled actors, are continuously fighting to change the way disability is seen in this industry.

 

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